Do I need to send in an expired passport that has been reported lost then found?

by John
(Portland Oregon USA)

Question: A year ago I lost my passport. I applied for a new passport and received a replacement. I have recently found the lost passport and it is expired.

Do I still need to send it in to be invalidated? This is important because the expired passport still contains a valid visa and I am planning to travel on that visa. The country I am traveling to (Brazil) allows valid visas from expired passports. Will I be allowed to carry a expired passport that has been reported lost through US customs?

Answer: You do not need to send in the passport. Once you call and report the passport's loss, it is invalidated.

While Brazil is one of the only countries that does allow you to enter using a valid visa in an invalidated passport, it is not advisable in this case. We cannot affirm that you will have problems but it is possible. If you had merely renewed your passport and the old had been canceled, this would probably not be the case. The fact that it was lost could cause complications.

While not obligatory, you are encouraged to apply for a new Brazil travel visa. The Brazilian consulate in San Francisco has jurisdiction over the state of Oregon. It takes 14-21 days to process applications through this consulate. If you choose to replace the visa and need to get it quicker, you can request the assistance of a qualified expediting service. For more information, click the link below.